Car construction.



I 'PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906. RLLETTENGER.

GAR CONSTRUCTION,

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Attorneys.

lnventor,

" -No. 815,946. i I PATENTED MAR. 27,1906. R; L. ETTBNGBR.

GAR CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED June. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.-

erZLZiing Attorneys.

yses: I fiJLQBm no. erases.

' To all whom it ma cortcern UNITED s ATEs ATENT OFFTGE.

ROBERT L. ET ENGER, or. WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

' CAR CONSTRUCTION. i

Be it known that 1, ROBERT L. ETTENGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Washington, in the District of Colum: bia, have invented a new and useful Car Construction, ofwhich the following is a specification,

This invention relates to car construction, and more particularly to an improvement in frei ht-cars.

T e objects'of the invention are in a novel and practical manner to substitute metal for the ordinary wooden sheathing or siding employed; to effect the combination'of the sheathing with the car-frame in such manner usections when necessary for repairs or the like; to obviate'the employment of ordinary wooden posts or bracesfor spacing the lining from the sheathing and in lieu thereof to employ metal, whereby the car will. be strengthened and be rendered less liable to damage from strains and vibrations ,to dispense with the employment of fastening means directly in conjunction with the metal sheathing for holding the same in place, and generally to improve and sim lify the construction of cars em loying meta sheathing.

ith the above and other objects in view,

as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a freight-car, as willv be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this invention, and in'which like char-i actors of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a portion of a freight-car constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2

is a'view in horizontal section, taken on the.

line2 2, Fi 1, and looking in' the direction of the arrow thereon. Fig. 3 is aview invertical transverse section through a portion of the car, showing more particularly the manner in 1 which the sheathing is combined with-the roof.- Fi 4 is a perspective detail view of a modified Torin of sheathing that may be employed in lieu of that shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fi 5 is a perspective detail view of the form 0 "cleat' used in connection with the car construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 6 and 7 are perspective detail views of modified forms of cleats that may be employed for securing the sheathing in position.

' Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the lining of the car, 2 one of the corner-posts,

and 3 the flooring, the flooring being su ported upon 2 or dOubIe-L shaped s1llearns 4, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The lining 1, which in this instance is metallic', is secured to metallic oats-5, whichare approximately 2 or doub e- L shaped in' cross-section, one flange of each of the posts bein emplo ed to secure the lining in place,

whic may 4 e effected by means of bolts or rivets 6, the other flange being employed to secure the sheathin 7 in place, and the webs of the posts operating to hold the sheathing and lining properly spaced. 1

=The sheathing, whether plain, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or corrugated,"as shown in Fig. 4, is composed of sheets of metal 'of the desired size, and-each sheet is provided with side flanges 8, that extend approximately the entire length thereof,-each sheet, by preference, reaching from the facia-boardQ t0 the sill-beams 4. The flanges 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, are curved and are designed to engage with cleats 10, that are. secured to the posts 5' by bolts 11, carrying nuts 12, disposed on the inner sides of the flanges of the posts 5. Inorder to facilitate the position ing of the flanges 8 within the channels 13 of the cleats, the beads 14 on each side ofthe channels are rounded to correspond to the curvature of the flanges, and by lnserting the flan es between the beads and the flanges of the cams 5 and then-moving the plates inward the flanges 8 will be caused to enter the channels 13 and assume the 'osition shown in Fig. 2, it being understood t at this results after the-bolts 11 have been securely seated or clamped to position. The plates are thus held securely in position and against any possibility of working loose or becoming detached without the em loyment of any fastening devices, such as olts or the like, passing' through them, thereby materially reducing the cost of'the construction of a car employing such sheathin and, further, obviating any weakening o the sheathing, which would necessarily result where bolt-holes are provided. This arrangement of cleats is observed throughout the entire length of the car except at the corner-posts 2 and doorpost 15, Where the cleats 16 and16 are rovided with only a single channel. It wi be noted by reference to Fig. 1 that the channels in the cleats are of greater de 1711' than the hei 'ht of the flanges of the sheat ing, and this wil permit the latterto have sufficient res . eaves of the roof to the actor as positively to rec play to compensate for contraction and ex- 1 ings 20, which, as shown in Fig. 2, are of a size to straddle the cleats and are held combined therewith by the bolts 20 and nuts 20. The sockets have lateral extensions 21, that are engaged by theterminals of horizontallydisposed cleats or bars 22', that are arranged, preferably, intermediate of the height of the sheathing and are secured bolts 22, that pass through the sheathin andthroughalongitudinal earn 23 arranged between the sheathing and the ining, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. 1 These lon itudinal cleats 21 serve positively to brace t ebody of the car against lateral strains, and thereby materially enhance its strength, and by being disposed exteriorly of the sheathig'they act, in con'unction with the cleats 10' to shield the sheathing against injury, suc; as frequently results from striking projecting objects on cars. Of course the sockets 24 and 25 that are disposed at the corner-posts and doorosts have only one extension to receive t e terminal of the cleat 22 terminating thereat.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 the posts 26 and 27 at t e corner-posts and doorposts are L-shaped as this form will be best adapted for use at'these points; but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto, as Z-posts may be employed, if found necessary or desirable.

At the ends of the car the cleats 28 which are secured to the corner-post 2 are provided with but a single channe 29 toreceive the flange of the sheathing 30, the intermediate cleatsbein of the same construction as that shown on the sides of the cars, and as this willbe readily understood detailed illustration thereof is omitted.

ing is lainthatis, devoid of corru ations or ribs; ut, if preferred, the form of s eathing shown in Fig. 4 may be employed, wherein the plate 31 is provided with two series of spaced corrugations 32, arranged, referabl'y, longitudinally of its length, and these corrugations may or inward as referred.

Generally t e form of cleat shown in Figs. 1 to 3 will be employed; but, if preferred, it may be made as s own in Fi 6, m which the cleat 33. is made of cast meta made of stamped sheet metal and is flanges-17 of the sill-" in position by" Emetal'lic sheathing flanges, curved beads with which the flanges enga e, the channels being of greater depth than t e {height of the flan es, thereby to permit the j same to yield to c imatic changes and to viproject outward beyond its face f with longitudinal ribs 34, having channels 35 to receive theflanges of the sheathin Another form of cleat 36 (shown in F1 7) is $ormed with two longitudinal hollow ribs 37 to receive the flanges of the sheathing. In both these latter forms of cleats the assemblage of the sheathing therewith is the same as that described in connection with the form of cleat shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and operates in precisely the same manner.-

One of the principal features of this invention is that b the mode of assembling the sheathing wit the car, should it be desired to remove damaged plates and reset new ones, this may readily be accomplished, the procedure being as follows: The bolts 38, holding the cleats 16, combined with the cornerposts, or the bolts 39 holding the cleats 16, combined with the door'-posts,'are first removed, accordin to whether the damaged plate or plates be located adjacent to'the end of the car or to the door, and thereafter it will only be necessary should the plate be removed some distance from the end of the door to remove one or more of the sockets 20 and cleats 10 to permit as many of the lates to be detached as may be necessary, it eing seen that by employing the curved flanges upon the plates these may be hooked into engagement with the'channels of the cleats vwhile the latter are rigidly positioned. When the damaged plate as been replaced, the sockets and cleats 21 are arranged in position and also the cleat 40 or 16, as the case ma' be, whereupon the necessary repairs wil have been secured.

As shown in Fig. 3, the lining extends only a part way to the roof of the car; but it is to be understood that, if preferred, it may extend entirel to the roof and still be within the scope 0 the invention.

Havingl thus described the is claims is 1. The combination with a car, of a metallic sheathing having curved edge flanges, and cleats having curved beads to engage the flanges.

2. The combination with a car, of metalinvention, what lic sheathing having curved ed e flanges, and jcleats having channels bO'llIlLF beads with which the flan As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the sheath 5 3'. The combination wit bration.

4. The combination with a car, of cleats provided with channels, and sheathing hav-- rng curved marginal flanges loosely disposed I within the channels. and is provided 5. In a railway-car, the combination with a v sis aa posts, of a seciired to the inner side thereof, cleatssecured'to the outer sides. and

provided with channels, and sheathing havsheathing having marginal flanges to engage 1c the channels;

1 Y 7. In a mi posts, of cleats secured theretoandprovided lway-car, the combination with with channels, sheathing having marginal flanges to engage the channels, sockets secured intermediate of-the ends of the cleats,-

and horizontally-disposed cleats having their terminals in engagement with the sockets.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ROBERT L, ETTENGER.

I Witnessest r J. H. JOOHUM, Tr-,1 L.L. MORRILL. 

